Deadline looming for unclaimed $15M lottery jackpot

All the major prizes that have gone unclaimed in Alberta since the inception of Lotto 6/49 combined don't add up to the amount the latest unclaimed jackpot is worth, Western Canada Lottery Corporation officials said Monday.

The lucky, but unwitting owner of a ticket worth $14.9 million is about to let Lady Luck slip out of reach, with time to claim the prize running out next week, said WCLC spokesman John Matheson.

"That ticket will expire on June 7 and as of now, no one has come forward to claim it," he said.

"This is rare ... it doesn't happen very often.

"And this is a big one."

Players have one year from the draw date to claim a winning prize, said Matheson.

This ticket, with the numbers 11, 12, 14, 27, 34 and 48, entitles the owner to half of the $29.8 million jackpot drawn on June 7, 2006.

If unclaimed, the ticket would constitute the biggest unclaimed prize anywhere in Canada since Lotto 6/49 was launched in 1982, and only the sixth unclaimed jackpot ever in Alberta, said Matheson.

"We're asking everyone to check their tickets ... we really want the rightful owner of this ticket to claim the prize," he said.

"There's a week, so hopefully somebody will come forward."

All previous unclaimed prizes in Alberta combined amount to less than $8.3 million, said Matheson.

If unclaimed, the money from the $14.9 million ticket will go back to players in the form of at least two bonus draws, with the first taking place this fall, he said.

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We hear stories like this all the time, but this is a huge amount. I believe a $19M ticket wasn't claimed in NJ recently and I've read articles about a $20+ million prize in FL going unclaimed.

As discussed on other threads, when millions of people buy tickets, events happen as they would in any place with a high population. If you think of the lottery pool as a city or country with millions of people, you can just look in any newspaper and read about the accidents, deaths and all the other various events that might cause this to happen. That said, some poor guy could have simply lost his ticket or left it in his glove box or even his jeans that were thrown into the wash one Sunday.

I wonder if there's ever been a player who has found a winning ticket 2 months after the expiration? In this case, it's best to remain ignorant.

We hear stories like this all the time, but this is a huge amount. I believe a $19M ticket wasn't claimed in NJ recently and I've read articles about a $20+ million prize in FL going unclaimed.

As discussed on other threads, when millions of people buy tickets, events happen as they would in any place with a high population. If you think of the lottery pool as a city or country with millions of people, you can just look in any newspaper and read about the accidents, deaths and all the other various events that might cause this to happen. That said, some poor guy could have simply lost his ticket or left it in his glove box or even his jeans that were thrown into the wash one Sunday.

I wonder if there's ever been a player who has found a winning ticket 2 months after the expiration? In this case, it's best to remain ignorant.

Yes, I agree with you. It would be best if they don't find out. I would have gone crazy after the fact. Very sad, indeed. One small piece of paper could have changed your life.

They still have till June 7 to claim the prize. Let's hope they find the lost ticket.

Yet another way Canadian lotteries are better than American ones. When a jackpot goes unclaimed in the Great White North, it goes back as prizes, and back to the players who funded said jackpot. Here in the US, it just goes to whatever fund the lottery typically funds, and the players don't get it back.

As for the unclaimed ticket, tough Timbits. No sympathy for him or her, it's not that hard to hold on to a lottery ticket.

All the major prizes that have gone unclaimed in Alberta since the inception of Lotto 6/49 combined don't add up to the amount the latest unclaimed jackpot is worth, Western Canada Lottery Corporation officials said Monday.

The lucky, but unwitting owner of a ticket worth $14.9 million is about to let Lady Luck slip out of reach, with time to claim the prize running out next week, said WCLC spokesman John Matheson.

"That ticket will expire on June 7 and as of now, no one has come forward to claim it," he said.

"This is rare ... it doesn't happen very often.

"And this is a big one."

Players have one year from the draw date to claim a winning prize, said Matheson.

This ticket, with the numbers 11, 12, 14, 27, 34 and 48, entitles the owner to half of the $29.8 million jackpot drawn on June 7, 2006.

If unclaimed, the ticket would constitute the biggest unclaimed prize anywhere in Canada since Lotto 6/49 was launched in 1982, and only the sixth unclaimed jackpot ever in Alberta, said Matheson.

"We're asking everyone to check their tickets ... we really want the rightful owner of this ticket to claim the prize," he said.

"There's a week, so hopefully somebody will come forward."

All previous unclaimed prizes in Alberta combined amount to less than $8.3 million, said Matheson.

If unclaimed, the money from the $14.9 million ticket will go back to players in the form of at least two bonus draws, with the first taking place this fall, he said.

Great forum, I chose this topic to respond to first, faced with the same situation. Where would someone find out about the laws of unclaimed lotto 6/49 prizes in Canada? Or if someone could let me know where to find a discussion about that tpe of info that would be great.